Her Brave Spirit
by xdobby13
Summary: Bulma Briefs was almost at the point of giving up. Earth is gone. She has no one left. She barely even has any pride left. And, just when she considers quitting, a certain Prince gives her another chance. Will she take it, or is her spirit forever lost?
1. Chapter 1

Vegeta glared at his reflection in the mirror, impatience flooding his eyes. His father had promised him a whore. A beautiful, exotic whore, delivered from across the galaxy, solely for his pleasure. She was supposed to be here half an hour ago. He was supposed to be dominating her, grunting in ecstasy right now. Yet, he was standing alone in his quarters, staring at his own reflection, and beginning to question himself.

He never used to be this way. Vegeta two years ago would never go within a thousand feet of a brothel. He would claim it cowardly and pathetic to have to pay for sexual relations. He used to laugh and judge men who would pay money for women to fuck, but now he had become that man. After all, a lot had changed in two years. Ever since she died. Akari.

How he missed his annoying, bold, loud mouthed sister. He would never admit it aloud, of course, but he craved her snarky comments and her nonjudgmental advice. It was her confident personality that had gotten the best of her. His cold, unloving heart stung as he remembered what his guard, Nappa, had told him that dreadful night…

_"Your Majesty, I come bearing bad news," Nappa began, tugging at his armor nervously. He did not know and truthfully feared how Vegeta would react to his report. The King had sent Nappa to tell him, for he could not bear telling Vegeta about Akari himself. The pain was too fresh and all too real. _

_"What is it, Nappa?" The Prince grunted, visibly irritated that his bald bodyguard had interrupted his training. The only person he allowed to do that was Akari, and that was only because she was a suitable sparring partner._

_"It is about your sister," Nappa continued, then decided he needed to get on with it. This was news that had to be delivered quickly, not drawn out like a slow, torturous death. "She was murdered earlier this evening. I apologize for your loss." He was about to turn around before Vegeta could release his wrath, but the Prince stopped him before he could go any further._

_Vegeta instantly flooded with rage. He didn't even understand. How could his powerful sister die? It made no sense to him at all. His eyes began to burn, and he did not even understand the emotions that were rushing through him like tidal waves. "WHAT?! Explain how this happened. Immediately. Or your head will become my mantlepiece."_

_Nappa panicked. He knew this would happen if he had to be the one to tell Vegeta. "Sire, I don't know the details. From what your father told, she got into a fight with a few other warriors. I think it was about seven to one. And, she couldn't defeat them; they killed her…"_

_Vegeta growled as though a lion were caged within him. "Who were these warriors?" He spat. "And, where are they now, Nappa?"_

_"They are in the Palace jail, awaiting the King's verdict, sir," Nappa replied quickly. "I don't know exactly who they are, but I believe they were from the training camp Akari attended."_

_Vegeta growled once again. His sister had complained to him about rude lowlives who had made her time at training camp irritating. Of course she ultimately asserted her dominance as the Princess of all Saiyans, but she could never shake the way they laughed at her when her back was turned. Akari always wanted to fight them, but they were a big group and she knew that the odds were not exactly her favor. Despite her royal bloodline and relation to Vegeta, she did not inherit the same strength as her stone faced brother. Although she did acquire the cleverness of the Royal Family, so she knew a lost fight when she saw one. _

_When she had returned from the camp, Vegeta always asked who the people were, so he could avenge his sister. But, being a part of an incredibly stubborn and proud family, Akari's lips were sealed. _

_The Prince immediately left his training quarters and bounded down the hallways towards the Palace Jail._

_"Prince Vegeta," the guard exclaimed when Vegeta entered the stone prison. "They are down in the last cell." The guard needed no explanation of why Vegeta was there. He hoped that the Prince would make those warriors sorry for what they did to Akari - she was definitely the darling of the Saiyan Empire._

_Raditz was standing outside the cell that housed the seven warriors who had sealed Akari's fate. His normally stoic face was clouded with emotion, for he was very fond of Akari. He was not only her bodyguard but her friend, and he wanted nothing more than to make the people who he guarded suffer. But, he knew Vegeta deserved this revenge._

_Vegeta glared at the seven men and women who cowered in the cell. If looks could kill, their heads would be severed at this point. "Before I slaughter you all and every single one of your families, I order you to tell me what happened."_

_None of them answered. There was silence for a few moments, and then, Vegeta's patience came to a halt. He ripped the cell door off its hinges and stuck his hand within the chest of the first person he saw in the cell. He ripped the woman's heart out and let her fall to the floor._

_"I will repeat myself only once more, and then on my honor as the Prince of all Saiyans and as the brother of Akari, the Princess of all Saiyans, I will singlehandedly torture you all till my dying day. Tell me, what happened?"_

_A man with cropped raven hair spoke. "We saw your sister coming back from the ocean, alone. We went up to her and began to torment her. Saying she would never be queen, all that shit, because you were first in line...She blew up, said she had enough of us, and she was ready to fight. So, we did."_

_Vegeta flinched. "Who killed her?"_

_Slowly, a green eyed woman spoke. "I did, Sire. But, only because I was trying to protect Shin! I thought sh-" Before she could could continue, Vegeta used his nails to rip open her neck. He seized her esophagus and stuffed it through her skull._

_Pausing for a moment to regain his cool exposure, Vegeta finally spoke. "Raditz, leave the rest of this scum in the dungeons." For a moment, the rest of the group's faces lit up. Perhaps they were going to live! "And, make sure they are never given an ounce of food or water. Keep them apart so they cannot eat each other. I want to watch them die a slow, painful death."_

_Without saying another word, the Prince of all Saiyans left the jail._

Vegeta shook his head when he rejoined reality. He heard a knock at the door and opened it. Before him stood a man and a woman, who he assumed to be the whore he had been expecting. He examined her for a moment and his eyes widened when he realized how beautiful she was. She had wide, wondering blue eyes and matching blue hair. He could tell she had passion from the glare she was giving him, and he suddenly had an urge to ravish her then and there.

"Prince Vegeta, this is the whore that has been delivered for you, all the way from Asta! Enjoy," the vulgar man explained and closed the door immediately, leaving the prince and the blue haired woman alone.

Vegeta looked her over once again. He was going to enjoy this. He was about to make his move before she spoke.

"Prince Vegeta, it is an honor to make your acquaintance. My name is Bulma Briefs, of Earth."

He raised an eyebrow at her matter-of-fact tone.

"Earth?" He replied. "Wasn't that mudball destroyed years ago?"

"Yes," Bulma said coldly. "I am the only survivor of my planet's destruction. The only human left."

"Good riddance, anyway. What a weak race."

Bulma scoffed at him. "You could argue that physically, Prince, but mentally, we were quite the force to be reckoned with. The only reason I was spared was for my intelligence."

"Oh, really?" Vegeta laughed. This blue haired woman was quite amusing. "So, that would make you a whore who also happens to also be a genius."

"Don't call me a whore, Prince."

"How dare you talk back to me? I will call you whatever I please. And, why are you talking so much? Don't you have a job to do?"

"You know what, Vegeta?" Bulma retorted.

"That's Prince Vegeta to you, blue haired whore!"

"Whatever. I am not going to do my job with you because I am not a whore. You can take me, non consensually, but I will not willingly have sex with you."

"You are an absurd woman." Vegeta ran his fingers through his gravity defiant hair. For some reason, he could not bring himself to take the blue haired woman without her consent. He could tell she was smart, and it seemed she had had a difficult life. But, why did he even care? She was a random whore, he was the Prince of all Saiyans. She was complete trash to him. But, she seemed to know death, all too well in fact, and Vegeta did not want to add another traumatic event to her platter. He sat on his bed. "Why are you even a whore if you're not going to do your job?" Why do I care? He asked himself.

"Do you think I wanted this?" Bulma cried. Vegeta glared at her for her harsh tone. "I did not choose to be a whore, Prince Vegeta. I was forced into the prostitution trade after they were done with me…"

"Who?"

"The Astrids. They were the ones that destroyed Earth."

"Why did they spare you, then?"

"Why do you even care?" Bulma retorted, eying him suspiciously. She looked him over, searching for any malicious intent that might be hidden in his appearance. The only thing she could pick up was how good he looked in his royal armor. She was beginning to second guess her choice to refuse sex from him. But, Bulma was a proud woman. She always refused sex with her clients, but no one ever listened. This Saiyan Prince seemed to be the first to actually respect her wishes. Well, so far.

"I don't, foolish woman," he growled. "But, if you're not going to fuck me then you might as well entertain me with your sob story."

"It is not a sob story, you stupid, pretentious Prince! You don't even know what it means to lose anything!" Bulma exclaimed but instantly clamped her hand over her mouth. Other than the fact that Vegeta was probably going to kill her, she also knew that he had lost his sister. The whole universe knew about darling Akari, and all mourned her when she was murdered. Bulma was being unfair with him, but now it didn't even matter. He would surely kill her for her tactlessness. "I am so sorry. I know you have also suffered loss-"

Vegeta growled.

"I'm not going to try to understand what it means to lose a sister," Bulma continued hurriedly, "but I do know how it feels to lose someone you love and care for. I would not wish that on my worst enemy. I hope you understand I did not mean anything by that comment, Prince Vegeta. I did not know your sister, but I used to read all about her theories about the stars and such. She was quite the clever one...she will never be forgotten, you know."

Vegeta did not even know what to say. One minute he was contemplating murdering the blue haired woman over her comment, and now, she was apologizing to him, claiming to have read his sister's theories, trying to understand how he felt. It was almost comforting. Her soft words had soothed his frantic mind, and he was finally at peace for a moment.

"I do not wish to speak of my sister, blue haired woman," he finally said. "Why did they spare you? The Astrids."

Bulma exhaled. So, he was still interested. So, he wasn't going to kill her. "I told you, for my intelligence. They destroyed Earth because my father's and my technology was surpassing theirs, and they feared us to be a threat. So, they took me captive and interrogated me about every invention I had made or was in the process of making. I knew I could either lie to them or refuse to speak, and they would kill me. Or, I could tell the truth, and eventually get revenge for my people one day. So, I told them the truth, leaving out some of my greatest inventions, of course. They one day let me 'free' and placed me in the prostitution trade because they knew I could never escape it, since I am 'beautiful'. About a hundred or so rapes later, here I am."

Vegeta's stomach lurched. The woman had never had consensual sex? He could not fathom the terrors she had faced. He shuddered at the thought of being the sole survivor of a dead race and couldn't help but feel bad for her. She looked like she had so much life left in her that if he did not know better, he would assume she was just a regular, vibrant person who had faced no hardships in life. "Bulma," he stated stoically.

"Yes?"

"I hope you do get that revenge one day. For your people."

Bulma smiled sadly as she looked down at her hands. "Thank you, Prince Vegeta...And, I hope you know how proud your sister would be of the man you are."

"What did I say, woman?"

"I'm sorry!" Bulma sputtered. "I just mean...thank you."

"Do they pay you in this trade?" The Prince continued.

"Yes, a little bit, but never enough that I can buy myself out of my contract. You know, with my boss. I think the Astrids had something to do with this; they never really wanted me to be free."

Vegeta grunted. They sat in silence for a while after that, glancing at each other every now and then. It was not an uncomfortable silence but rather the opposite. Each was deep in thought. Bulma's thoughts were with Earth, her home, and the family and friends she missed so dearly. And, then suddenly she found them with what the Prince had said. "I hope you get that revenge one day." When she had been informed that she was traveling all the way to Vegeta-sei to be the Prince's whore, she never expected anything like this would have happened. She expected she would deny him, as usual, and he would rape her, like everyone else did. But, she could tell the onyx eyed Prince had honor. She respected that.

Vegeta could not get what the blue haired woman had said out of his head. It was ringing in his ears: "I hope you know how proud your sister would be of the man you are." She didn't even know him! She knew nothing of the terrible acts he had committed, the amount of women he had slept with, the amount of people he had slaughtered. Akari would most certainly not be proud of the heinous acts he had been committing. How could she say such a thing? The blue haired woman had such innocent eyes; he knew she had experienced many traumas in her life, but the Prince could tell her eyes always searched for the best in people. The way she looked at him was a way no one had looked at him for a long, long time. It was gentle. It was understanding.

"I forbid you to ask me why I am doing this, is that understood, woman?" Vegeta growled suddenly. Bulma jumped slightly at his tone but nodded.

"I will have you released from the prostitution trade." Bulma's eyes lit up. They were almost dancing with joy. Would she finally really be free? "I admire how you wish to avenge your people, despite how weak and pathetic they were. I respect your honor, blue haired woman, and you deserve more than the life you have been given."

Bulma wanted nothing more than to throw her arms around the Prince's neck and never let go, but something told he was not one for hugs. She took a deep breath and did her best to reel in her emotions. "Thank you, Prince Vegeta. I do believe this is the first time I have actually smiled since my planet's destruction."

"Woman, I could care less about your smiles," Vegeta grumbled, rolling his eyes at her pathetic, human emotions. Bulma giggled.

"Your Majesty, obviously this is too much to ask, but…" Bulma trailed off, biting her lip, which reignited Vegeta's desire for her. He shook his head, regaining his regal composure.

"Spit it out, woman, I do not have all day!"

"I was just wondering if you knew of any job I could take up here on Vegeta-sei…"

"Job? What ever for?"

"Well," Bulma replied, her patience wearing thin, "to make money. How else am I going to eat?"

"Stop with this nonsense, woman. You are going to tell me all about your great, technological mind. Perhaps you will become my personal scientist. You will live at the Palace, Bulma."

Bulma's jaw dropped.

* * *

_A/N: _Hello! So, just a few things I'd like to mention. First, I understand the severity of rape and would never normally speak of it so lightly, but because of Bulma's situation she has numbed herself to all the traumas she has experienced.

Anyway, this is my new story. It's going to be long, and I intend to finish it. I hope you stick around for the ride because I am very excited about it! Please review, and let me know what you think so far. Reviews make me really happy. :)


	2. Chapter 2

_**One Year Later**_

Bulma opened her wide blue eyes and smiled at her ceiling. Her life had been absolutely perfect lately. Ever since Vegeta had exempted her from the prostitution trade, she had barely looked back on her past. Well, it was almost perfect. The Prince was almost always away on a mission for his Empire, and she barely ever got to see him! Apart from their monthly meetings regarding her latest inventions, that is.

Of course she had her Saiyan-equivalent of a boyfriend to keep her company, Dai, but she missed her friend immensely. She hadn't gotten the chance to tell Vegeta about Dai yet, even though they had been together for a while. It was more like she was avoiding telling him, but Vegeta was always dismissive of any male company she might choose, and she really did like Dai. He was no Vegeta, which she would sometimes admit to herself, but she liked him. He was entertaining. Besides, the Prince was rarely there. Recently he had been away on a diplomatic mission to a nearby planet, discussing a prospective alliance. The King had forced Vegeta to go for his training as he would one day replace him. Thus, she never really had the chance to tell him.

When they did get to spend some time together, she did not want to ruin it with news she knew would irritate Vegeta. She'd rather spend her time with him happily. They would challenge each other with mind games; Bulma had built him chessboard, and they would compete whenever he got the chance.

Every now and then, the Prince would fly onto her balcony and "demand" she take walks with him. He would discuss planetary affairs with her and confide in her some of the darkest secrets of the Saiyan Empire. Bulma rarely expressed her care for him aloud, for she understood how cold he was on the exterior, but she trusted him with all she had and would rather die than betray him. When the walks first began, she tried to advise him to her best ability, and slowly, he began to trust her in turn. He recognized her incredibly brilliant mind and saw the stubbornness and boldness of Akari in her. Though, he would never tell her that.

Bulma rubbed her eyes and warmed at the thought that Vegeta would be returning for the annual ball for all the planets in alliance with the Saiyan Empire. His ship was scheduled to land in two hours, and Bulma wanted to go to the landing bay to meet him. Vegeta preferred keeping their friendship on the downlow because it might put Bulma in danger if she was seen spending too much time with him, especially since she was a foreigner. But, Bulma Briefs did not care; she had missed her friend, and she was going to greet him, despite how grumpy and harsh he would be probably be about it.

A few hours later, Bulma was gathering her blue locks into a high ponytail and slipping on some sandals. Her scouter had just notified her that Vegeta's ship was descending. She left her quarters, signaled to Raditz that she was heading off to welcome the Prince, and made her way down to his ship. Raditz grumbled as he watched the strange, blue haired woman prance off to meet Vegeta. He did not quite understand why she had so much affection for the Prince; he never seemed to pay her any mind.

Bulma felt anxiety creep up behind her as Vegeta walked down the ramp of his ship. She was standing further away, in a far corner of the room so to not completely disobey her Prince's wishes.

The minute Vegeta touched on Vegeta-sei, he searched for Bulma's ki. He could never quite figure out why she was such an enigma to him, but she was always the first thought to enter his mind when he returned home. To his surprise, he found that her ki was in the landing bay, very close to him. He looked to where the energy was emanating from and saw the blue haired woman grinning widely at him. He rolled his eyes. He had forbid her from openly displaying affection for him and coming to welcome him was an absolute act of defiance. He dismissed the guards that had come to escort him and walked up to her.

"Woman, you completely disobeyed me!"

"Well, hello to you too, Vegeta."

"I ordered you not to be around me in public!"

"Oh, so I'm your slave or something?"

"Regardless of what you are to me, I am your Prince. You will do as I say, no questions asked. I do not have time for your foolishness."

Bulma growled at his harsh words. "What's the big idea, Vegeta? This is how you're going to greet me after a whole month?"

"You say that as if I missed your presence, woman. I finally got some time to deal with my migraines."

"What's that supposed to mean, you jerk!?"

"It means I didn't have to deal with you and your incessant babbling!"

"Whatever, Vegeta. I came here because I thought you might want to see me - guess I was wrong. I'll see you tonight," Bulma snapped before turning on her heel and heading back to her quarters. The nerve of that stupid, pretentious Prince! Who did he think he was, ordering her around, making her feel like nothing?

Once back in her room, Bulma picked up a vase and threw it across the room. Raditz immediately came rushing in. "What's going on in here?!"

Bulma groaned. "I'm _trying_ to have a temper tantrum in _peace_, Raditz!"

"You are an incredibly confusing person, Bulma."

"What's wrong with him?" She whined, ignoring his quip.

"Bulma, I think the better question question is what's wrong with you? Why do you try so hard with the Prince? You know he will never return your affections."

"What kind of affections are you implying, Raditz? Because I only see him as a friend," the blue haired scientist retorted, raising her chin in a proud manner.

Raditz rolled his eyes. Women and their attitudes. "I don't care what you see him as, you know he will never see you the same way! So, why do you try with him?!"

"You don't know him like I do."

"I've known him for much longer than you have! May I remind you you've only lived here for a year?!"

"Well, have you ever had an actual conversation with him?"

Raditz did not have a reply. No, he had never actually gotten to know the Prince, she had him there. But, he was stubborn in his opinion: he could not bring himself to believe that Vegeta saw Bulma as anything more than a beautiful woman with a genius mind. It was simply too out of character for him. And, although he had only known the blue haired woman for a short while, he had taken a liking to her. Vegeta was not the only one to notice similarities between her and Akari.

Bulma took her guard's silence as a surrender. "That's what I thought. Anyway, could you please give me some privacy? I have some stuff to do before I get ready for the ball."

Raditz nodded and turned to leave, but Bulma stopped him. "And, Raditz," she added, "I know you don't know him and thus have this idea of who he is, but just remember, he did save my life. Or, at least gave me a chance at a new one."

Her spiky haired bodyguard grunted in understanding and left her to her business. Bulma extracted her scouter/what she had modified into a cell phone and called Dai.

"Bulma! I thought you were busy this morning," Dai exclaimed when he picked up her call.

"Oh, my plans didn't really end up working out…" she replied awkwardly. "Anyway, I was wondering if you wanted to come to the market with me? I wanted to buy a dress for the ball tonight!"

Dai drummed his fingers on his balcony railing. He and Bulma had been "going out" as she called it for about four months at this point, and she still hadn't fucked him. He didn't know how much longer he could take! He did like her a lot; there was no denying she was an incredibly intelligent and fascinating woman. But, she was also very attractive and irresistible, and Dai did not know how much more he could take. She would always say, "I just want to take things slow, Dai!" And, while he respected and was appalled by her horrible past, he still had needs. He craved her.

He swallowed and decided she was worth pursuing. He saw a bright future ahead for the two of them. "I'd be honored, haha."

"Great! But, you know how I am...let's keep the PDA to a minimum, okay?" Bulma was not about to risk Vegeta finding out about Dai for a simple trip to the market.

"Right, right," Dai agreed, rolling his eyes since she could not see him.

"Um, so I'll meet you down there in ten minutes?"

"Sure, Bulma."

He pressed end on the scouter and exhaled. Why did she refuse to ever be close with him in public? It wasn't like he was asking her to strip down and make love to him in front of the masses, but she couldn't give him a simple kiss on the cheek? It seemed as if she was hiding him from someone, but whom? Bulma had only been on Vegeta-sei for a short amount of time, and she did not have that many friends. There was Kakarot, but he did not seem to even register that Bulma was a woman let alone be mated with her, or something. Raditz was Bulma's guard, but he couldn't sense any attraction between the two. At least on Bulma's end. Dai shook his head, deciding it was nothing. If she really were mated to anyone else, why would she keep it a secret from him? They weren't exactly sleeping together.

About five minutes later, Dai caught sight of Bulma waiting by her favorite boutique, Mōru. She had her unforgettable blue hair piled on top of her head in a bun and was staring off into the distance, clearly lost in thought. He walked up to her and brushed a loose curl behind her ear. She flinched. "Oh hey, Dai...Didn't see you there. Ready to go?"

"I was born ready," he joked causing Bulma to give him a funny look. She forced a laugh and headed into the store.

"Lady Bulma!" The shopkeeper, Aziz, exclaimed. "Shall I close the shop for you?"

"No, Aziz, that won't be necessary. I just need a dress for tonight! I was hoping you could help me out," Bulma winked at her friend and set her purse down on a nearby chair. "It needs to make a statement." Bulma did not add that she wanted to make Vegeta pay for his actions from earlier. She was going to use her beauty to her advantage and make all the Saiyan men ogle at her, since she knew he hated it. She really wasn't interested in him _that_ way, like Raditz and Kakarot might say. She just wanted to be his friend, and she didn't see any wrong in flaunting her beauty to get the job done.

...Okay, maybe it was a little bit wrong. But, whatever.

"Miss Bulma, how about this?" Aziz offered, holding an extravagant red gown with a tight bodice and flowing skirt.

"Are you trying to impress me, woman?" Bulma heard a raspy voice come from behind her. She whipped around to see the Prince walking towards her.

"Don't flatter yourself, Vegeta." She snapped, hoping he would pay no mind to the weaker saiyan in the room. Yet, she knew the Prince and had accepted that that would not be the case.

"Who is this non-royal scum, woman? What have I told you about your horrible taste in company? Next thing I know you're mates with the man who cleans my bathroom." He growled, tilting his head in the direction of Dai.

Dai rose immediately. "Your Majesty, I am-"

"He's my boyfriend, Vegeta."

Vegeta clenched and felt a rage invoke within him. "What the fuck is a boyfriend?"

"Uh…" she searched for the right words. "Sort of what you are with someone before you become mates?"

The rage was growing uncontrollably within his cool exterior, and for some reason, the Prince of All Saiyans felt weakened by a pathetic, weak guard, all because he was the "boyfriend" of the blue haired woman. She was supposed to be _his_ friend, and Vegeta did not like to share. He had to get out of there.

"I will see you tonight, woman."

"Vegeta, wait! I can-"

The door slammed behind him.

* * *

_A/N_: Ooooh! Seems like Vegeta's pretty mad. But, he's gotta learn to share at some point. Anyway, now we have an angry Vegeta, a guilty Bulma, and a weak, pathetic, vulnerable Dai all headed to the same party. This can only end badly. Hehe. I'm kidding, you'll have to read my next chapter to see what happens.

Also, Kakarot should be making an appearance next chapter. And, I'll probably start developing the plot for the whole story. I'm sorry. I wish it could all just be dramatic fluff, too.

Anyway, thanks for reading! And, please review! (PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE)

P.S. I was thinking about naming her boyfriend Yamcha, but then I'd have to make him a saiyan. And, we all know Yamcha doesn't deserve that honor. )

REVIEW! (and thank you for all your reviews from last chapter!)

**Also, if you want to see what Bulma's dress would look like, google Taylor Swift Dress CMA awards 2013.**


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